While performing a surgical procedure with navigational assistance, a surgeon may wish to capture a current navigational view on the display screen that corresponds to a particular position of a tip of a pointer tool. This typically allows the surgeon to view the cross-sectional planes corresponding to the tool as well as the 3D view of the location of the tip. The captured view typically shows navigation information relating to the patient's anatomy, based on pre-operatively acquired images and the particular position of the pointer tool.
However, once the pointer tool is moved from the position at which the view was captured, it may be difficult or impossible for the surgeon to accurately and precisely return the tool to that particular position.